Again and again, the interview is interrupted on the roof terrace of the Berlin Bikini house of loving fans who have supported the new film by Zach Braff, strangers who donated a bit of money have and will be warmly welcomed by “Scrubs” star and “Garden State” director, as if they were old friends. On the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, he has presented and promised to deliver his fans a true representation of its his project with a good four-minute spot, which he had in his head, without concessions to producers who prefer to have sexy as bizarre a film and prefer to rely on stars, as on unknown actors that are right for the substance
The world. In your first movie you have buried your mother and in the second your father: It sounds as if you had parents problems
Zach Braff: My mother is a psychologist, they would probably ask why she’s dead in both films. But no, I think we all have problems with our parents, mostly the daughters rather with the mothers and the children rather with the fathers. To make our parents right is an issue for many people. In a way, both films are memoirs, they do not give exact life again, but they are inspired by it. “Wish I Was Here” I wrote with my brother, which is as it were our common experience. We have both struggled in different ways with our father, he was tough and we always had to do with being his expectations. But he has us both encouraged to take an artistic profession.
The World: And how many of the little stories about fighting actor and bizarre auditions you have even experienced
Braff: This is all real. I wrapped myself long as struggling actor, I started with 13 and had only 26 success with “Scrubs”. I have often sat in this room and asked me what the hell I’m doing here, this feels like a fools game to, like a lottery. Even when it was already running better, I still ran this bad stuff behind. The worst was a spot where I kneel on the floor, had to flap his arms and say: “I feel like chicken tonight”. After that I decided to never audition again for a commercial
The world. Do you have this very personal approach for filmmaking not sometimes feel like giving away too much
Braff: Yes! The time! Yes, yes with an exclamation mark! These were two very personal films, and if that is criticized, it is not just about what you wrote, but your whole outlook. It makes very vulnerable, so the next film will certainly not be nearly as personally
The world. after your successful directorial debut “Garden State” it took an incredible 10 years to reach your next film, which also only about crowdfunding came about now. Were you surprised by the enormous success of your Kickstarter campaign that has mobilized $ 2,000,000 after all in just 48 hours
Braff: Yes, because everyone said it would not work. As the “Veronica Mars” movie so that was so successful, we wanted to try it. But everyone thought that would not work with us because we do not expect a brand, we offer neither yes “Garden State 2″ or “Scrubs – The Movie” to. I simply said cheekily: “I think I know what you like, I have something for you, that I will make” the leap no one had previously dared. I knew I had a month to do it, as we had reached the sum already in 48 hours, go all the jaw to the floor down.
The World: Despite the enormous success you say that you do not even want to finance a film in this way: Why
Braff: Since we were the test case, there was an enormous amount of debate, especially about whether successful people should go this way and what that generally means for film financing. I became a politician and should explain all the crowdfunding, which has taken an incredible amount of time. In a way it has overshadowed the film itself, in the USA it went in all articles about two-thirds to Kickstarter and only a third of the film. But I just want to be an artist and make films actually
The World: The second time the subject would be but also by …
Braff: Sure, I’ve gotten all the arrows, because I was the first to have done it on this scale . But I will simply have nothing to do with it! To make a film in 26 days is already a lot of work to simultaneously take care of 47,000 people, is too much.
The World: What donation incentives there was next premiere tickets, T-shirts, small rolls and Setbesuchen yet
Braff: Anything, we have sent screenplays, and the soundtrack in the process of formation. There was voicemail messages and video messages, I have rented long me speak for 15 or 30 seconds and spoken, for example, a lot of marriage proposals; also Setbesuche and a series of previews of the movie, in New York, Boston, Toronto and Berlin followed by questions from the audience, which is also the reason why we are here now, because in Germany ran “Scrubs” and “Garden State” really well, here I have a lot of loyal fans and the Kickstarter Backer screenings were quickly sold out
The world. Instead of one, two or five producers you were dealing with 47,000. How big is because, apart from the effort to provide the all the pressure to meet the expectations
Braff: Clear the pressure was enormous! These are 47,000 people who do not want to disappoint you. I wanted to make a film that may not appeal to everyone, but is made for these people, a story for the fans with the fans, that was the pitch. In addition to that, the eyes of the world were watching. Many were sure that it goes wrong and I wanted to prove that it is feasible
The world. If you normally have a does not fulfill the contract, has the legal consequences: How is the the crowdfunding
Braff: If you are unknown, it is Although embarrassed, but it’s no big deal. But if one is known, that’s no way, you have a reputation to lose. It is a moral obligation that outweighs any contract
The world. Then what is your alternative for financing independent, personal films
Braff: This film was a special case, because it was relatively expensive. Generally this is not a great film, but in independent scales are five and a half million dollars pretty much, so it was particularly difficult to finance it. As you know, today either movies for a million dollars to be made or for 50 to 250 million dollars are the hardest to film for 5 to make 19 or 20 million dollars. So I would either make something more commercial, so I can mobilize the money itself, or I would do something even Smaller, I can pay for itself. These are the two options
The world. Among other things, accused you kick-start your much too large project to cannibalize: How do you respond to these critics
Braff: This made me very upset and I was very grateful to the Director of Kickstarter that he has said in the “New York Times” that exactly the opposite is the case. The project had a halo effect, because I have drawn my whole fan base to Kickstarter, people who are not only joined, but then have supported other projects. The same was the case with “Veronica Mars”, such projects are a good conversation piece and a real click-bait. If one is only 30 seconds on Kickstarter, one finds that it makes quite addictive. The people who come as fans of me, Spike Lee or “Veronica Mars” draw on and support other projects, which attracts a huge traffic to the site and surely they do not cannibalize!
The World: Do you have other projects supported
Braff: A lot! Documentaries about inventions, a documentary about video games, which is just came out, a bicycle light …
The World : As would fit the noiseless Velcro from “Garden State” good to …
Braff: Exactly, that is a good idea! More than anything, I love the innovation side, because there are plenty of crazy inventions, a guy had to burn a great idea, wooden cards with the laser, which I supported. Many people have problems with it, not to be involved in revenue, so it’s all about is not me! I just think that he has a really cool idea, and I know that he has no other way to get money. I support the spirit of invention, I do not care if the guy is rich with it. Just as with “Video Games – The Movie”, there is no right thorough documentation about the world of video games, from the beginning until today, when I saw the pitch video to it, I was thrilled this documentation I would really like to see! I gave him $ 10,000, because I believe in the thing! His pitch was wonderful, when his film einspielt $ 100 million, I could not care, I want his money, I want to support his art, wants to be his sponsor!
The World: Not enough so that your film is a rebellion against Hollywood, you are also drawn from Los Angeles to New York …
Braff: I still have a house in Los Angeles, you can not work in this business and not be there sometimes, but I’d had enough. It’s as if you live in a steel town in which everyone is working in the steel mill, you have at some point no longer wanted to talk about steel. In LA, everything revolves around the film industry, in New York there are infinitely many different interests, however, in theater, in the visual arts. In addition, we never met in LA strangers, there are no pedestrians, you drive everywhere and runs into the arms of anyone. In L.A to sit alone in the car, is lonely. New York feels the other hand, to new and wonderful
The World: You have the New Yorker Woody Allen called a great inspiration . At the moment you play in his Broadway musical: Is there anything special you have learned from him
Braff: No one is better at comedy and drama to mix, “Annie Hall” is my favorite movie, the ultimate masterpiece that breaks all the rules, because sometimes it is a comedy, then a drama, suddenly it’s a cartoon, then again it has subtitles. He has all the rules thrown out the window and got away with it, because it was awesome and worked. That is why he is my hero!
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